Everything we can see and touch, and quite a lot that we can’t as well, is made of tiny particles called atoms. Some substances, like particles of this iron, contain only one kind of atom. Iron is an ...

A chemical element is one of those squares on the periodic table that adorns many a classroom wall. Sure. But what is an element really? It is a more subtle question that you might realise. To get to ...

The periodic table has 118 elements. Most of them are named after places, minerals, or mythological figures. But a small group of elements carry a very different kind of name. They are named after ...